Haas has trimmed the upper flap of its rear wing for Spa-Francorchamps (above), as it looks to reduce some of the drag being generated and improve straight-line speed.
Aston Martin will utilise a lower downforce spoon-shaped rear wing, a solution that the team has employed before at other high-speed venues. You’ll note the two circular access panels that remain open on the side of the endplate and offer access to the bolts, which connect the endplate to the mainplane.
Ferrari is also sporting a rear wing design we’ve seen already this season, as it becomes more and more obvious that teams are having to forsake designing and manufacturing bespoke and circuit specific designs in order to meet their cost cap objectives.
AlphaTauri’s rear wing offering notably features no trailing edge Gurney flap, as the team favours to take advantage of the drag reduction that removing it might offer.
Alfa Romeo has also ceded some of its rear wing’s downforce by trimming the trailing edge of the upper flap. The Hinwil team has had to be careful in doing so, in order to leave enough of the central section intact to give the DRS mechanism the room it requires to attach to the flap.
Red Bull may have lower downforce options available to test for the weekend, which may include the removal of the upper beam wing element, which it has already done at several circuits this season that require less downforce.
In this picture of the W13’s rear wing we’re able to see the base lay-out of the endplate’s upper cut-out and another section of bodywork that overlaps the existing surface. That modular solution helps with the cost cap exercise of building parts as multiple designs can be deployed with the same endplate.
McLaren has also opted to trim the upper flap of the MCL36’s rear wing but, like Alfa Romeo, it has chosen to leave a section in the centre untouched so it can deploy its regular DRS mechanism.
Alpine’s low downforce offering is one we’ve seen before. The team ran this extreme wing at Baku, topping the race speed trap at 332km/h with Fernando Alonso.
As the A522 is prepared we’re able to spot some of the internal detail of its front brake assembly, with the team preferring to mount the caliper in the front and use teardrop shaped outlets in line with the disc to help manage temperature exchange.
We can also see how the team is treating heat management under the brake drum at the rear of the car.
As an Alpine mechanic works at the front of one of the A522’s, we’re not only treated to a view of some of the inboard suspension elements but also the bib wing introduced earlier in the season.
AlphaTauri continues to make changes to the AT03’s floor edge wing and the edge of the floor too. Note the U-shaped mounting used to bridge the gap between the two and the upwardly rolled edge of the floor, which is then cut away into a taper towards the rear tyre.
A close-up of the three element mirror stalks that have been on the A03 since its inception. They are used to help improve airflow conditions on the upper shoulder of the sidepod.
A great overview of the Alfa Romeo C42’s crash structure a gearbox carrier, rear suspension and rear brake duct layout.
Alfa Romeo, like many other teams on the grid, deploys an internalised shroud within the main brake drum this year in order to help manage temperatures and the airflow’s passage.
As a comparison, AlphaTauri also encloses its brake disc with a fairing but does it in an entirely different way in order to accommodate other pipework that cools the likes of the caliper at the bottom of the assembly.
Haas favours a more traditional approach with the disc left exposed within the larger brake drum void.
McLaren, meanwhile, also encloses the brake disc with its own shroud. Notably, the team has externalised the pipework that delivers cool air to the caliper, which is housed at the rear of the assembly.
Red Bull’s disc shroud appears to be much more stylised than some of their counterparts, with the team keen to optimise flow management and control temperatures in a very specific way. You’ll also note that the shroud and caliper have been coated to help further still.
A close-up of the flared floor section of the edge wing on the McLaren MCL36’s floor.
The rearward section of the McLaren MCL36’s edge wing sports four metal U-shaped mounting brackets to attach it to the main body of the floor.
The Ferrari F1-75 with its vanity cover removed gives us a view of some of the inboard suspension elements.
The Mercedes W13’s rear wing assembly, now with the upper corner of the endplate installed, which as you’ll note is a full section, rather than having a cut-out and is a similar solution to what Alpine has used already this season.
A close-up of the cooling gills sunk into the McLaren MCL36’s sidepods that taper up around the engine cover.
The Alpine A522 sidepods, which feature a trough to help manage the airflow’s passage downstream. Also note the use of a cooling panel with just four cooling outlets, as the team looks to find an acceptable compromise for cooling and the drag posed.
Plenty of detail to take in about the Alpine A522’s rear end from this picture, including the low downforce wing being deployed, the stacked beam wing lay-out and the small rear cooling outlet. They are complimented by the outlet on the engine cover's spine and the gills beside the sidepods.
The floor from the Red Bull RB18 waits beneath the chassis to be mounted. Note the depressions on the upper surface of the diffuser which give room for suspension travel.
